Teachers become pupils with NADO Flanders

More than 1,000 Belgian sports teachers became pupils for a day last month when they attended a NADO Flanders anti-doping course at the Flanders Sports Arena in Ghent.

With the majority of Belgian schoolchildren sitting exams, NADO Flanders took advantage of some downtime in the curriculum to educate teachers on the dangers of doping within a wider theme of health and sports.

WADA’s Outreach Model was used to support the event as both secondary and primary school teachers were given information packs containing anti-doping leaflets and a guide on how best to facilitate group discussions with students on the dangers of doping.

“Teachers are an important channel through which we can reach children and youngsters who are at the early stages of their sporting careers,” said Flemish Minister for Sport Philippe Muyters.

“It is vital that young people get the necessary anti-doping education at the right time and this was the ideal opportunity to educate the educators on the dangers of doping.

“These initiatives are important since they promote clean sport and also help prevent the unintentional use of doping substances.”

The teachers were also introduced to educational tools such as ‘Real Winner’ and WADA’s Play True Quiz, while NADO Flanders distributed fluorescent safety vests with the slogan ‘Sports? Yes. Doping? No!’.